New Home Adventures

About six months ago, my family moved into a new, custom-built home. Designing and building a brand new home for our family was one of the biggest adventures of our lives. And I have to say that it’s been totally worth it! I’m so glad that we decided to go this route.
I started this blog for other people who are considering a custom-built home. I want to share what I learned about how to save money, get financing, and make plans to build a dream home of your very own. With the right information, you too can have the custom built home of your dreams.

2 Main Sources Of Basement Water & What To Do About Them

Posted on:
4 December 2015

The inside of your house, including your basement, is no place for water. Water inside of your basement can lead to mold and mildew problems that can compromise the integrity of the building materials inside of your basement. Water can also compromise the flooring and foundation of your basement. Here are two common sources where water gets into your basement and what to do about them.

#1 Water On Your Walls

Sometimes, it seems like water just appears on your basement walls from nowhere. If your basement walls continually have moisture on them, you need to determine if the moisture is coming from inside or outside. You can determine this by doing a little experiment.

For this experiment, you'll need some aluminum foil as well some strong tape. Wipe all the moisture off an area on one of your walls in your basement. Then, place a square of aluminum foil up against the wall and tape it in place. Leave the foil alone for a couple of days, then go back and check on the foil. If there are water droplets on the outside of the foil, the moisture is coming from inside of your home. If there are water droplets on the inside of the foil that is up against the wall, the moisture is coming from the outside.

If you determine the moisture is coming from the inside, you have too much moisture in the air in your basement. You need to set up a dehumidifier to pull some of the excess moisture from the air so that it doesn't build up on your walls.

If you determine that the moisture is coming from the outside, you need to inspect the outside wall of your basement. If you find any cracks, even small ones, you need to fill them up so that water does not continue to leak into your basement.

#2 Water From Your Basement Windows

Another common source of water in basements are subterranean basement windows. Your basement windows should not act as wells for the run-off whenever it rains outside.

There are a few things you can do to combat water from building up around your windows and seeping in through your windows. To start with, you need to check the drainage system outside of your window and make sure that it is not clogged. You also need to make sure that there is gravel below your window to help filter water through the dirt and away from your house.

You also need to make sure that your windows are protected with window wells or have covers on top of them. If they don't have either, you can easily install window bubbles above them to stop water from seeping into your basement.

These are not the only ways that water can make its way into your basement; however, these are two of the most common ways that water finds a way in. Make sure you address the water issue as soon as you identify the heart of the problem. You don't want to let any more water into your basement than you have to. For more information about waterproofing your basement, contact a business such as State Wide Waterproofing.